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Smithdon High School

Curriculum

Our Curriculum

At Smithdon High School our curriculum is one of our greatest strengths. We believe that all children should study a broad and balanced curriculum that allows them to develop the knowledge, skills and love for learning that they will need to be successful as they go through life.

Leaders share a vision of the curriculum, which is a curriculum rich in knowledge and broad in concept. A curriculum that provides knowledge and disciplines which will support our students as lifelong learners and allow them to remove barriers enabling them to have improved life chances as they develop into adults. The curriculum is a combination in terms of encouraging a strong academic core of subjects, such as the EBACC, whilst ensuring that all students, including the disadvantaged and SEND students, can access the full curriculum. Through our curriculum we plan to introduce the best that has been thought and said for pupils to reflect on as they become compassionate and educated citizens.

As such, all of our students follow our ASPIRE curriculum (Achievement, Self-awareness, Purpose, Involvement, Relationships and Emotional intelligence) for 2 hours per fortnight during tutor time, which enables them to develop the skills and experiences needed for life outside school including relationships, health and careers.

Key Stage 3

In Years 7, 8 and 9, we offer a broad and balanced, knowledge-rich curriculum that gives our students a strong academic grounding in preparation for GCSE study. A three-year programme of study helps us to ensure that our students are offered the very best curriculum and experiences. It ensures students have enough time to explore all subject areas deeply enough to equip them with the foundation knowledge that is important for their future and allows for additional content and themes to be explored alongside the key concepts being committed to memory.

Key Stage 3 allocated hours per fortnight from September 2022

English

Maths

Science

Geography

History

French

8

8

6

4

4

4

Art

Drama

ICT/DT/Food rotation

Music

PE

RE

2

2

2

2

4

2

In years 8 and 9 some of our students begin to learn German as a second language. For these students their timetable allocation changes to PE - 3 lessons/fortnight; French - 3 lessons per fortnight and German - 2 lessons per fortnight.

Our lessons are based around continuous low-stakes assessment which gives students the chance to show off what they have learnt. Using simple quizzes at the start and end of lessons, students will be reviewing and developing their knowledge. We use other activities in class to ensure students can use and apply what they have learnt.

Alongside these lessons students are supported to work at home using their termly-issued Knowledge Organisers. Once combined, this knowledge and opportunity gives our students both the cultural capital and the academic underpinning they require to make them exceptional learners at GCSE and beyond.

To view the KS3 Curriculum Map for core subjects click here
To view the KS3 Curriculum Map for all other subjects click here.

Key Stage 4

At the end of Year 9 students are able to personalise aspects of their curriculum through the choosing of Options subjects, for their final two years of study at Smithdon High School, that reflect their interests and abilities.

  • All students continue to study English, Maths and Science as GCSE subjects until the end of Year 11, comprising two GCSE grades from English - Language and Literature - and two or three grades from Science - with students either completing the double Science Award or qualifying with an independent grade in each area of Science: Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
  • Students then choose additional GCSE subjects for further study. We encourage students towards EBACC with some students taking a compulsory language and all students required to take at least one of Geography or History.
  • All students also continue to have weekly core Physical Education lessons for fitness and wellbeing and weekly PSHE lessons delivered through our tutor time ASPIRE programe.

Our Key Stage 4 curriculum builds on the prior learning of the Knowledge Rich Curriculum embedded in Key Stage 3. Lessons are tailored to include knowledge quizzes, deep questioning and regular classroom assessment to monitor and address gaps in learning.

Lessons incorporate a high standard of subject content along with British Values and literary articles. This is aimed at developing the capital and culture of our students, ensuring they are well prepared and able to access a wide range of cultural content.

Current subjects choices at Key Stage 4 (from 2022 onwards) include:

French

German

Geography

History

RE

Art

Design and Technology

Drama

Hospitality and Catering

Business

GCSE PE

Health & Social Care

iMedia

Music

 

Year 10 and 11 allocated hours per fortnight

English

Maths

Science

Core PE

Option Subjects

8

7

9

2

6

 

To view the KS4 Curriculum Map for all subjects click here